The Prologue from Ohrid: June 25
1. THE VENERABLE FEMALE-MARTYR FEBRONIA
[FEVRONIA]
Febronia was the daughter of Prosphorus, a senator from Rome. In order to
avoid marriage with a mortal man, Febronia betrothed herself to Christ and was
tonsured a nun in the east, in the country of Assyria, in a convent where her
aunt Bryaena was abbess. Lysimachus, the son of a nobleman, desired to wed
Febronia but since Emperor Diocletian suspected him to be a secret Christian, he
sent Lysimachus to the east with his uncle Silenus to apprehend and kill
Christians. Silenus was as cruel as a beast and exterminated Christians
everywhere without mercy. Lysimachus, on the contrary, spared the Christians
wherever he could and hid them from his beast-like uncle. Making Palmyra a
wasteland of Christians, Silenus came to the town of Nisibis close to which was
a convent with fifty ascetics among whom was Febronia. Even though she was only
twenty years old, Febronia was respected in the convent and in the town because
of her great meekness, wisdom and restraint. In this convent the rule of the
former abbess Blessed Platonida was adhered to in that every Friday be spent
only in prayer and the reading of the sacred books without any other type of
work. Bryaena had designated Febronia to read the sacred books to the sisters
hidden behind a curtain so that no one would be distracted and captivated by the
beauty of her face. Hearing about Febronia, Silenus ordered that Febronia be
brought to him. But, when the holy virgin refused to deny Christ and to agree
to enter into marriage with a mortal man, Silenus ordered her to be whipped, and
after that to knock out her teeth, cut off her hands, breasts then legs and
finally to slay her with a sword. However, a horrible punishment from God
befell the torturer the same day. A rage entered into him and he was overcome by
a deadly horror. In this horror he struck his head against a marble pillar and
fell dead. Lysimachus ordered that Febronia's body be gathered and brought to
the convent where it was honorably buried and he, with many other soldiers, were
baptized. Many healings have occurred from the relics of St. Febronia and she
appeared on the day of her feast and stood in her usual place among the sisters
and all the sisters looked upon her with fear and rejoicing. St. Febronia
suffered and took up habitation in eternal blessedness in the year 310 A.D. In
the year 363 A.D., her relics were translated to Constantinople.
2. VENERABLE DIONYSIUS
Dionysius was the founder of the monastery of St. John (Dionysiat) on Mt.
Athos. He was born in Koritza in Albania. His older brother Theodosius
withdrew to Mt. Athos where, in time, he became the abbot of the monastery
Philotheou. When St. Dionysius had matured he went to his brother in Philotheou
and his brother tonsured him a monk. By divine providence, while in
Constantinople on a work assignment for the monastery, Theodosius was chosen and
consecrated as metropolitan of Trebizond. A wondrous light began to appear
every night to Dionysius on the spot where he later built the monastery of St.
John the Forerunner. Explaining the appearance of this light as a sign from
heaven that he should build a monastery there, Dionysius traveled to Trebizond
to seek help from his brother Theodosius and Emperor Alexius Comnenis. The
emperor gave him both money and a royal charter, which is still preserved in the
monastery. Dionysius founded the monastery of St. John the Forerunner in the
year 1380 A.D. At one time, when pirates plundered the monastery, Dionysius
again traveled to Trebizond and died there at the age of seventy-two. The
monastery of Dionysiat still continues and flourishes even today. There is an
icon of the All-holy Birth-giver of God in that monastery called "The
Praise" which Emperor Alexius Comnenis donated to Dionysius. According to
tradition, the Akathist to the Theotokos [Birth-giver of God] composed by
Patriarch Sergius was read for the first time.
HYMN OF PRAISE
SAINT FREBONIA
The virgin Febronia, confesses Christ
Before judgment standing, bloody and pale.
As a palm branch, the young Febronia.
From beautiful fruit, a branch became heavy,
And to Silenus she speaks: "A Bridegroom, have I,
And no type of honor, from you do I accept,
Christ is my glory, Christ is my pride,
O yes, the beautiful countenance of my Bridegroom!
Cut off, cut off my feet - paths they have traveled!
Cut off, cut off my hands - work they have completed!
Cut out, cut out my tongue - with my heart I will pray!
Smash, smash my mouth - with my heart, I will speak!
Whip, crush the body - why do I need the body?
A more beautiful garment, the Bridegroom has prepared,
Among many holy ones, in the heavens above,
Among the angels, in sweet Paradise.
Do not think Silenus, that when I depart,
That the fury of your life will die.
But hear me and remember: behold the same day
Before the Living God, together we will go:
You as a torturer and I, tortured by you,
Each, his deeds, will bring with him.
REFLECTION
St. Mark the ascetic said: "Whoever desires to eliminate future
tribulations must bear the present tribulations with joy." Men consider
slander as a great tribulation and there are few men who bear this tribulation
without grumbling. O beautiful is the fruit of kindly endured tribulation!
Tribulation is given to us for good spiritual commerce and we are missing the
opportunity thus remaining empty-handed at the market place. Behold, even
Athanasius, Basil, Chrysostom, Macarius, Sisoes and thousands of other followers
of the Most-slandered One were themselves slandered. But God, Who orders all
things for our salvation, had so ordered that on the thorn of slander would
sprout fragment roses of glory for all those who are slandered for His Name.
Had Stephen not been slandered would he have seen the heavens opened and seen
the glory of God in the heavens? And the slander against Joseph the Chaste One,
did it not serve to his greater glory?
CONTEMPLATION
To contemplate the miraculous fishing in the deep: "But when He had
ceased speaking, He said to Simon, ' Put out into the deep and lower your nets
for a catch' " (St. Luke 5:4):
1. How the apostles went out into the deep and, with the blessing of the
Lord, caught an abundance of fish;
2. How I am empty and hungry while I stand in the shallow [physical] senses
and here fish for power and wisdom;
3. How I should enter into the spiritual depths, with the blessing of the
Lord, and there to catch a good catch.
HOMILY
About today's day and tomorrow's day
"Boast not of tomorrow, for you know not what any day may bring
forth" (Proverbs 27:1).
Brethren, let us not boast of that which is not in our power. The Lord has
placed the times and the years under His power and He disposes of them. Only
God Himself alone knows whether tomorrow's day will number us among the living
or the dead. Some have died on the eve of their marriage; again, others have
descended into the grave on the eve of their coronation with a royal diadem.
Therefore, let no one say that tomorrow will be for me the happiest day of my
life; tomorrow, I enter into marriage! Or, tomorrow I will be crowned with a
royal diadem! Or, tomorrow I am going to a great feast! Or, tomorrow a great
gain is coming to me! O, let no one speak of the happiness of tomorrow's day.
Behold, yet this night your soul may depart your body and tomorrow you will find
yourself surrounded by black demons in the tollhouses [Mitarstvo]! And yet,
even this night, a man can be separated from his relatives and friends, from
wealth and honor, from the sun and the stars and find himself in a totally
unknown company, in an unseen place and at an unexpected judgment.
Instead of boasting of tomorrow's day, it would be better to pray to God to "Give
us this day our daily bread." Perhaps today's day may be our last day on
earth. That is why it is better to spend this day in repentance for all our
past days on earth rather than vainly fantasizing about tomorrow's day, about
the day which perhaps will not dawn for us. Vain fantasizing about tomorrow's
day cannot bring us any good, but repentance for one day with tears can save us
from eternal fire.
O righteous Lord, burn up the insane vanity that is in us.
To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.